1988 ford f250 4x4 7.3 idi 5 speed

[res0wc18]

hello all well i think i would be stupid not to buy this complete truck that is suppose to be great all around and has no leaks for 2200 bucks. i am going to pick it up this weekend and was wondering what are some things that i should look for on this truck that would indicate run away and don't buy it. he says the there is no oil in the coolant and the over flow tank is clean and sludge free. Its a complete truck so can i really go wrong? What do i need to look for? Also ill need the tailhousing off a 2wd truck to mount it to my divorced np205, are they readily available? How much?

 

[Compu Doc]

See if you can get some SCA strips to test the coolant to make sure there is the right amount of additive in it.

Look for bubbling in the radiator when it is running.

I am sure there are other things and people will chime in.

 

[Exekiel69]

That would be the first thing I would look for in a 7.3, I would only add You have the listen to it running but i guess that is obvious.

 

[kcw12]

Well i believe the tailhousings are not removable on the zf5 (correct me if im wrong). Also look at the coolant. THen i would look at the under belly of the ole truck make sure the frame isnt rusted through anywhere. Then i check U joints and ball joints, make sure the front and rear end has some gear oil in it. and so on before i buy a truck.

 

[Cheaper Jeeper]

Well i believe the tailhousings are not removable on the zf5 (correct me if im wrong).

100% correct. The rear housing of the ZF can be removed, but the entire gearset (shafts and gears) come out of the main housing along with the rear housing. Swapping a rear housing is roughly equivalent to doing a complete rebuild.

Also look at the coolant. THen i would look at the under belly of the ole truck make sure the frame isnt rusted through anywhere. Then i check U joints and ball joints, make sure the front and rear end has some gear oil in it. and so on before i buy a truck.

All good suggestions....

 

[res0wc18]

so is there yokes to put on the out put splines then so i can run a driveshaft between there and my np 205? Where can i get coolant additive test strips and do they have a special name?

 

[haywire]

ok, i posted in the other thread that the 4x4 tranny would make things more complicated, but i guess you see that. like cheaper jeeper said, it's a big job to change a tail-housing on a zf, but there is an easier way to turn your zf 4x4 tranny in to a 2wd. it cost me around $375, and i doubt you could put a tail-housing and out-put shaft in for that, not to mention the work involved.